Friday, March 18, 2016

TGIF 3.18.16

It was St. Patrick's Day yesterday, but I still wanted to use this beautiful image of Michael Fassbender from his 2009 GQ photoshoot. He looks great in green, don't you think? Pap photos were released earlier this week of Michael resuming filming of The Snowman in Oslo, Norway. He looked fantastic, even refreshed and relaxed a bit. It's amazing the restorative powers of taking a short holiday after such a stressful awards season. Hopefully Michael took some notes from this past season as he may have to repeat it again for the 2017 season.

This year is promising to be another hot year for Michael. He has four films coming out: X-Men: Apocalypse, The Light Between Oceans, Trespass Against Us, and Assassin's Creed. I think this is the first time in Michael's career where he's on the borderline of making people tired of seeing his handsome and talented face. It's not overexposure per se, but just a constant stream of very different, strong and challenging performances that force you to recognize how great he is. Michael has had a whiff of the allure of the Oscar, and he's determined to get it. I double dare someone to offer up a name of a similarly talented A-list actor who is as in demand as Michael, and consistently in top form in his varied roles. There are a lot of good actors, but I'm hard pressed to think of another actor who is like Michael Fassbender. He has had a slow and steady simmer of success, in indies and commercial blockbusters, and critically acclaimed performances for nine straight years, leading up to almost nabbing an Oscar last month. But it just still wasn't his time. Will 2017 be his time? Who else will be "owed" an Oscar next year? I don't know and I don't care. The best way to remind voters of what a great actor Michael is, is for him to keep doing what he's doing, and churning out those films to a diverse audience.

Let's face it, the underwhelming performance of Steve Jobs (a brilliant film for those patient and intelligent enough to handle it) was because it was for a niche audience. Universal made the mistake in thinking that because hundreds of millions of people use Apple products and everyone knows Steve Jobs, they thought everyone wanted to see this verbose film. Same thing with Macbeth, another mind-blowing excellent performance by Michael, but again, that was a film for a niche audience. But this year, more people are going to become more familiar with Michael Fassbender from the four films coming out this year - especially from Assassin's Creed, which will become a franchise. Just think about it. Particularly with X-Men and Assassin's Creed, the marketing potential of these films will have Michael in our faces in maximum overdrive. And that's a good thing because with his name out there, and 'Oceans' sandwiched in between two "Event" films that people will go in droves to the theater to see, it will be the kind of triple threat PR storm that Michael will need to stay out in front and grab the attention of those voters. It's ridiculous that for the three films he starred in in 2015 (Slow West, Steve Jobs, and Macbeth) that he didn't walk up stage once to receive a competitive award. And for 2016, he has four new films coming out, while he's filming the next Prometheus movie, and completing The Snowman.

I'm going to refer to this article a year from now when the 2016-17 award season is complete, and I hope my expectations come to fruition for Michael because in these short nine years (starting with '300' in 2007) that he's been on the radar in Hollywood, he has paid his dues. If he were a twenty-something hot/sexy "it" girl under the wings of an influential producer/director, he would have an Oscar after only two years of work. But nope, when you're a good looking talented guy under 40, you have to prove and prove yourself until you hit the sweet spot year to win. Michael may have a chance to walk up on stage to accept an award for Steve Jobs next month. Earlier this week, Michael was nominated for Best Actor from the Irish Film and Television Awards (IFTA). They love Michael, he has won four awards in the past. However, four other actors may win for films that either were more indie in nature and/or have Irish production roots. We shall see...

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2 comments:

Yes, it will be interesting to look back at your article this time next year, Simone, and see what has changed. Without the release of Assassin’s Creed, I think Michael would be viewed just as he is now – as a hugely-respected actor who’s not a household name – which I think is a great position to be in. However, AC will change all that: depending on which way it goes, he’ll become truly famous or rather infamous.

I agree JennyJen, I think Assassin's Creed is going to propel Michael into a new league of super stardom. The video game is just insanely popular. If the film is done right, which I believe it is, it's going to do very well and people all over will have no choice but to recognize and respect Michael Fassbender in a way that many of us have been doing for years already.

I don't know about the IFTAs, Michael was thrown under the bus for both Jobs and Macbeth on both sides of the pond. :/

For Your Information

June 3, 2018: After nearly 10 years, Fassinating Fassbender has ceased production of articles covering Michael Fassbender. For the next few years or so, this blog will remain for archival purposes. If you have any questions please email Simone, Founder and Editor-in-Chief, at simonetvc@gmail.com. Future articles will be featured about Michael at my Theatre of Zen blog.

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